Along Route 74: Kennedy name still draws a crowd

Published: Sunday, March 31, 2013 at 06:53 PM.

It’s 2013 and the Kennedy name still holds a fascination for the American public.

Now in the 50th year since the fateful day in Dallas when President John F. Kennedy was killed, we still can’t avoid bumping into something regarding the Kennedys of Massachusetts.

Consider that I just saw where some photos of JFK Jr. in his youth were released on the Internet.

Secondly, I was telling a story the other day about something that happened the last day of school back in the sixth grade. My marker for remembering it was that Sen. Robert F. Kennedy was assassinated the night before in Los Angeles.

Then during a church sermon recently, the preacher referenced the ‘clip-clop, clip-clop’ of the horses’ hoofs that rang out while President Kennedy’s casket was pulled down Pennsylvania Ave. during the funeral procession.

There’s more. I have a distant cousin in Manhattan who has a special interest in all things Kennedy. She frequently posts photos, articles, etc., regarding that family on Facebook.

Of course, there’s always a grandchild of one of the Kennedy clan that’s running for office, getting in trouble, getting married, divorcing, etc. It’s always news – whether in the tabloid press or mainstream media.

It’s 2013 and the Kennedy name still holds a fascination for the American public.

Now in the 50th year since the fateful day in Dallas when President John F. Kennedy was killed, we still can’t avoid bumping into something regarding the Kennedys of Massachusetts.

Consider that I just saw where some photos of JFK Jr. in his youth were released on the Internet.

Secondly, I was telling a story the other day about something that happened the last day of school back in the sixth grade. My marker for remembering it was that Sen. Robert F. Kennedy was assassinated the night before in Los Angeles.

Then during a church sermon recently, the preacher referenced the ‘clip-clop, clip-clop’ of the horses’ hoofs that rang out while President Kennedy’s casket was pulled down Pennsylvania Ave. during the funeral procession.

There’s more. I have a distant cousin in Manhattan who has a special interest in all things Kennedy. She frequently posts photos, articles, etc., regarding that family on Facebook.

Of course, there’s always a grandchild of one of the Kennedy clan that’s running for office, getting in trouble, getting married, divorcing, etc. It’s always news – whether in the tabloid press or mainstream media.

Hard to believe the popular-culture status of that family continues. No matter the tragedies and disappointments, it seems America’s interest doesn’t diminish.

Long ago I realized the media obsession with the Kennedys had nothing to do with political leanings of the three brothers (John, Robert, Ted). In the television age, they became America’s first extended family – the camera just seemed to love them.

The notion, that they – and a lot of their offspring -- were media stars has been fodder for a lot of study through the years. Part of it is the lingering ‘What if?’ aspect of the tale.

What if JFK had served a second term, or if RFK had won the White House in 1968? What would Jacqueline Kennedy have done if her husband’s infidelities had become news while both were still alive?

Family dynasties have long been a staple of drama. Heck, the Downton Abbey saga is a big hit these days.

The Kennedy family just happened to live their story out in front of all of us in real time. They still are.